Snow Tires or all season tires for my old heavy car?

I haven’t used snow tires in decades. Literally, “decades”. And for most of my life I’ve lived in climates and around roads similar to yours, I’m sure. (Michigan, Wisconsin and Connecticut, for the most part, though the cars I drive are generally lighter.)

This year I helped to fund a Kickstarter project for ZipGripGo traction aids that you might also find useful as a way to maintain your all-season tires and forgo the hassle of snow tire changes. I haven’t tried them yet, since they were just delivered this summer, but the videos have convinced me of their utility and value.

I live in Alaska and have always been told that whatever I use, I need to use the same thing on all four tires. I’m currently running studded tires, tho’ know they aren’t legal everywhere.

I’m thinking all four need to match, regardless. To do otherwise will change the handling of the car in very unbalanced ways. And with all the weight that car has, if it starts sliding sideways, you aren’t stopping that no matter what tires you have on it.

I’ll ask you some questions first, answer them and then give my answer.

Are you over 30? Yes.
Have you driven in snow for over decade and know that it is slippery sometimes? Yes
Do you absolutely, positively, need to get somewhere if there is 2 feet of fresh snow? No.
Do you want a pile of 4 tires sitting in your garage all year? No.
Do you prefer to have ~$1000 in your own bank account or the tire store’s? Your own
Result:
Get a nice set of matching All Season radials.

You’ve got a Merc fer crissake! Keep it driving like one – smooth as a baby’s bottom.

BTW -The tire store is not the best source of info. They suffer from “The Barber Always Thinks You Need A Haircut.” syndrome.

What part of Ohio?

North of Akron (meaning Toledo, Cleveland, etc.) – snow tires for sure. Because of the snow belt and proximity to Lake Erie.

South of Akron, probably OK with good radials.

Heard a news report just yesterday: Winter tires on all four.

Get set of four Bridgestone Blizzaks; they are a winter tire, so they will wear extremely fast in temperature above 70 * F. Also get a spare set of rims for the tires. Just change the rims with tire already on them.

Most important in new radial snow tires they are not as noisy as the the old “Town & Country” large lug snow tires.

@Tropical_Willie Good points. My folks back in NH swear by Blizzaks, and the new tires are indeed quieter.

I generally split the difference and go for a rain tire. They have the drainage to shed snow reasonably well (slightly less likely to clog the treads than regular all-seasons), hard enough to be usable year-round, and are tailor-made for those in-between times where you’re dealing with slush or wet pavement as is commonly the case on well-maintained roads in the winter.

Check out your stopping ability and then the turning ability with the regular tires. I can make any heavy vehicle go in snow, it’s stopping and turning that get real hairy at times. Any question about it go for 4 snows. When you really need to stop you’ll wish for four snows. The snow belt is just to my north. I’ve been through this crap alot.

Central Ohio generally doesn’t get the wicked snows like the snow belt except on rare occasions. I was anticipating difficulties I had last winter. I got stuck in a parking lot when the car sunk into the earth as I was at a Scouting event. Probably just new tires would fix that. Kind of embarrassing to get stuck on flat ground though.